Shirt and suspenders combination wherein suspenders are hidden in use

ABSTRACT

A shirt, suspenders and pants combination includes common suspenders having two front distal ends, each with means for being attached to the waistline of the pants, and two back distal ends, each with means for being attached to the waistline of the pants. The shirt conceals a majority of the suspenders, and includes a neckline, a tail tucked into the pants, below the waistline, a front side with two front slits, and a backside with two back slits. The front and back slits are positioned below the neckline and are positioned above the waistline of the pants. The suspenders are positioned under the shirt, and the two front distal ends extend through the two front slits and are secured to the waistline through the means provided. The two back distal ends likewise extend through the two back slits and are secured to the waistline through the means provided.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to the use of suspenders for supporting pants, shorts, and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to shirt, suspenders and pants combinations wherein the suspenders are hidden in use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Belts and suspenders are generally used for two reasons. Typically, they are used to support pants or shorts, by holding the waistline of the pants or shorts at the waistline of the individual wearing them. At other times, they may be worn simply for reasons of fashion. They are generally not worn together, as the desired aesthetics or utility can be achieved by wearing only one of them. In recent times, belts are more popular than suspenders. Indeed, sometimes dress codes will eschew visible suspenders.

Although belts might be more popular, suspenders are a more practical option for individuals with larger waistlines that do not easily accommodate traditional belt fastening. They are also preferable to belts for individuals with health issues that require the comfort of a relaxed waistline. It should be appreciated that belts function by drawing the waistband of the pants somewhat tightly against an individual's waistline to an extent sufficient to overcome the gravitational forces that tend to make the pants fall, and the pants must be held tightly enough against the individual's waistline to also stay in place despite all the various movements that the he may make. Depending upon the weight of the fabric, the belt may have to be tightened to a degree that is uncomfortable. For those with larger waistlines, it will be appreciated that a larger stomach above the waistline may tend to push down upon the belt and waistline of the pants, requiring an even tighter belt.

A tight belt is uncomfortable and reduces an individual's freedom of movement. This is undesirable, especially for athletic activities. Additionally, for those with larger waistlines and stomachs, it is usually only practical to position the belt underneath the stomach, which may extend out over the belt and waistline, forcing the belt to a position below the individual's true waistline. Thus, the belt does not serve to provide a larger individual with a slimmer appearance, but, instead, serves to visually increase the disparity between the waistline and the stomach, causing the individual to look larger. A belt positioned somewhat higher than normal will help such individuals look slimmer, but would not adequately support the pants.

In light of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for means for employing suspenders, without the suspenders being visible. This would allow larger individuals to slim down their appearance, and will also allow them to engage in more athletic activities, without the discomfort of a tight belt. By hiding the suspenders, a belt may be worn simply for aesthetics, and it may be kept loose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a shirt, suspenders and pants combination is provided. The suspenders are common, having two front distal ends, each with means for being attached to the waistline of the pants, and two back distal ends, each with means for being attached to the waistline of the pants. The shirt is more particularly termed a “concealing shirt,” as it conceals a majority of the suspenders, and includes a neckline, a tail, a front side with two front slits, and a backside with two back slits. The tail is tucked into the pants, below the waistline thereof. The front and back slits are positioned below the neckline at a distance selected from two inch increments beginning at 17 inches, i.e., selected from 17 inches, 19 inches, 21 inches, etc., and are positioned above the waistline of the pants. The suspenders are positioned under the concealing shirt, and the two front distal ends extend through the two front slits and are secured to the waistline through the supplied means for attaching them to the waistline of the pants. The two back distal ends likewise extend through the two back slits and are secured to the waistline through the supplied means for attaching them to the waistline of the pants.

The combination lends itself to a method for an individual to employ suspenders to hold the pants with minimal visibility of the suspenders. In this method, the individual has a torso of a given shirt size, and a concealing shirt of the individual's given shirt size is provided. The concealing shirt has a front side with two front slits and a back side with two back slits, wherein all said slits extend through the fabric of the shirt and are positioned above the tail of the shirt. To determine where the slits extend through the fabric of the shirt, a slit-positioning measurement is selected. First, the distance between the individual's neckline and the individual's waistline is measured, and then a slit-positioning measurement is selected from two inch increments beginning at 17 inches according to which two-inch incremental value is closest to the actual distance measured. These slits are positioned above the base of the shirt at a distance determined by the slit-positioning measurement selected. The individual wears the concealing shirt, with the tail of the shirt being tucked in below the waistline of his pants, with all said slits being positioned above the waistline of the pants. Suspenders are worn under the concealing shirt, and include two front distal ends, each with means for being attached to the individual's pants, and two back distal ends, each with means for being attached to the individual's pants. The two front distal ends are extended from underneath the concealing shirt, through the two front slits, and are secured to the individual's pants through the means provided for attachment. Likewise, the two back distal ends are extended from underneath the concealing shirt, through the two back slits, and secured to the individual's pants through the means provided.

For purposes of disclosing this invention, numerous references are made to “pants,” and it should be appreciated that any type of leg covering providing a waistline could be employed, including shorts and skirts and the like. The term “pants” is to be broadly interpreted to cover other leg coverings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a frontal view of a concealing shirt in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the concealing shirt of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a frontal view of the concealing shirt as it may be worn in combination with suspenders used to hold up an individual's pants; and

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the concealing shirt as employed in FIG. 3.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a concealing shirt that is employed in combination with common pants and suspenders to practice the present invention is shown and designated by the numeral 10. The combination is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The concealing shirt 10 includes a neckline 12 that is designated by the dashed line encircling the collar portion 14 of concealing shirt 10. Concealing shirt 10 is shown as a typical collared shirt, with a plurality of buttons serving to selectively open or close a portion of the front side 16 of the concealing shirt 10, but it should be appreciated that virtually any type of shirt might serve as a concealing shirt in accordance with this invention. Further, while in the preferred embodiments neckline 12 is shown as circling a collar 14 at a position where the top button hole is positioned when engaged with the top button, it should be appreciated that the “neckline,” for purposes of this invention, will be considered to be similarly located, even for those shirts not providing such collars 14 having top buttons. For purposes of this invention, the “neckline” will be considered to be the line encircling the neck proximate the base of the neck. This is typically the area measured to obtain one's neck size.

Front side 16 includes two front slits 18 a, 18 b. Likewise, back side 20 includes two back slits 22 a, 22 b. Preferably, these slits 18 a-22 b are reinforced by reinforcing fabric 25, which can be any suitable material that maintains the integrity of the slits. In particular embodiments, reinforcing fabric 25 is the same fabric as that forming shirt 10. The positioning of all four of these slits is tailored to the particular individual for whom the concealing shirt 10 is intended. The neckline 12, as defined above, is employed in determining where to position these slits. More particularly, the individual that is to properly wear and employ a concealing shirt 10 measures the distance from his neckline 12 to his waistline 24, measuring straight along the contour of his stomach, and selects a slit-positioning measurement based upon the distance measured. The distance measured is represented by the letter M in FIG. 3. The slit-positioning measurement is selected from two-inch increments starting at approximately 17 inches, according to which value (17″, 19″, 21,″ etc.) is closest to the actual distance M measured. Regardless of the exact measurement M, the slits 18 a-22 b are positioned such that, when the shirt is worn, they locate themselves below the wearer's neckline 12 at the distance chosen for the slit-positioning measurement. It has been found that the 3 slit-positioning measurements at approximately 17 inches, 19 inches and 21 inches, provide a suitable location for the slits for a vast majority of body types.

Notably, the slit-positioning measurement is chosen regardless of the given shirt size. That is, the individual that is to wear concealing shirt 10 may have any typical shirt size, small, medium, large, X-large, etc., (S, M, L, XL, etc.) and any one of these given shirt sizes may have slits positioned at the described two-inch increments. Although two individuals may wear the same shirt size, due to their body shapes, they may obtain different slit-positioning measurements and require different slit positions on their concealing shirt. In sum, to properly size a shirt, an individual must select an appropriate common shirt size (S, M, L, XL) and an appropriate slit-positioning measurement. Regardless of the shirt size, the slits will be positioned below the neckline 12 at the chosen slit-positioning measurement. To manufacture appropriate shirts, templates are inserted into a common shirt, and these templates have slits at the disclosed two-inch increments. A common shirt of a give shirt size is hung on a template provided for that shirt size, and slits are made at the appropriate slit positioning measurement indicated on the template.

Slits 18 a-22 b extend through the fabric of concealing shirt 10. Additionally, concealing shirt 10 is long enough to provide a tail 26 positioned below slits 18 a-22 b at a sufficient distance for tucking tail 26 into pants 28. Because the slits have been appropriately positioned in accordance with a chosen slit-positioning measurement, they will be positioned proximate the individual's waistline, as particularly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

With a concealing shirt 10 appropriately configured as above for a given individual's body type, common suspenders S may be used to hold up pants 28 with only minimal visibility of the suspenders S. A loose belt B may then be employed for aesthetic reasons, not for holding up the pants 28. This will allow an individual to look fashionable, while not being discomforted by a belt. Larger individuals will look slimmer due to the fact that the suspenders S can hold the pants 28 at a higher position than does a belt B, when employed alone and secured, as it must be, under the stomach that pushes down on a belt. More particularly, a faux waistline might be established above the actual waistline and around the lower part of the stomach. Pants extending downwardly from this faux waistline will hide a portion of the stomach and the actual waistline, hiding the disparity between the girth of the waistline and stomach. Suspenders S include two front distal ends 30 a, 30 b and two back distal ends 32 a, 32 b. Each of these ends 30 a-32 b includes appropriate means for being attached to the waistline of pants 28. The means are generally represented by the “x” drawn on the distal ends. Virtually any type of suspender attachment may be employed, including the typical releasable clamps and button-based attachments.

In light of the foregoing, it should thus be evident that the present invention, providing a shirt, suspenders and pants combination and method, substantially improves the art. While, in accordance with the patent statutes, only the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail hereinabove, the present invention is not to be limited thereto or thereby. Rather, the scope of the invention shall include all modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the attached claims. 

1. A shirt, suspenders, and pants combination comprising: (a) pants having a waistline; (b) a concealing shirt including: a neckline, a tail tucked into said pants, below said waistline, a front side with two front slits, and a back side with two back slits, wherein said front and back slits are positioned below said neckline at a distance selected from increasing two-inch increments starting at 17 inches, and are positioned above said waistline of said pants; and (c) suspenders including: two front distal ends, each with means for being attached to said waistline of said pants, and two back distal ends, each with means for being attached to said waistline of said pants, wherein said suspenders are positioned under said concealing shirt, said two front distal ends extend through said two front slits and are secured to said waistline through said means for being attached, and said two back distal ends extend through said two back slits and are secured to said waistline through said means for being attached.
 2. A method for an individual to employ suspenders to hold pants with minimal visibility of the suspenders, wherein the individual has a torso of a given shirt size, the method comprising the steps of: measuring the distance between the individual's neckline and the individual's waistline; selecting a slit-positioning measurement, said slit-positioning measurement being selected from increasing two-inch increments beginning at 17 inches, according to which value is closest to the actual distance measured in said step of measuring; providing a concealing shirt of the individual's given shirt size having a tail, a front side with two front slits, and a back side with two back slits, wherein all said slits extend through the fabric of the shirt and all said slits are positioned above the tail of the shirt at a distance determined by the slit-positioning measurement determined in said step of selecting; wearing the concealing shirt provided in said step of providing, with the tail of the shirt being tucked in below the waistline of the pants such that all said slits are above the waistline of the pants; wearing suspenders under the concealing shirt, the suspenders having two front distal ends, each with means for being attached to the individual's pants, and two back distal ends, each with means for being attached to the individual's pants; extending the two front distal ends from underneath the concealing shirt through the two front slits; extending the two back distal ends from underneath the concealing shirt through the two back slits; and securing the two front distal ends and two back distal ends of the suspenders to the individual's pants through said means for being attached. 